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Prepared Environment 17
Montessori At Birth 5
Montessori at 1 month 1
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Montessori at 3 months 9
Montessori at 4 months 6
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Montessori at 6 months 5
Montessori at 7 months 2
Montessori at 8 months 2

Reflections

Brain Development from Birth to Three years (Montessori Voices Magazine version)

October 28, 2019 by jayabalar Leave a Comment

The crucial importance that Dr. Montessori gave to the first few years of life, a century ago is resurfacing in today’s neuroscience. Dr. Montessori said that it was in these early years that the nervous pathways are established and the basic associative structures of the brain are completed. This will then serve as a foundation for how each experience for the rest of our life is processed, registered and recalled. The latest findings in neuroscience reiterates the same and that 85% of brain development happens in the first three years of life.

Dr. Montessori said that the significance of the first three years lies in the fact that child has an “unconscious absorbent mind”, which means that everything that is received from the environment is processed and stored in the brain cells with no effort. Neuroscience calls this “tacit (non-conscious) time frame”, where child absorbs how the social world works and this gets wired into how the brain works.

Since these first years are so crucial, here are some ways teachers and whanau can support the child during this period:

1. Pregnancy/ prenatal life- Dr. Montessori recognized these nine months as crucial for a child’s brain and emotional development. She said mother’s attitude and acceptance towards the baby played a vital role in babies development.

“It is very important to talk to the fetus and it is equally important to sing to him; this stimulation is like a massage for the brain and body.”- Understanding the Human Being.

Today, neuroscience confirms that a positive environment, mind set and experiences for a mother during pregnancy will have lifelong consequences for the child. Moreover sensory stimulation like talking and singing to the fetus aids in development.

2. Prepared Environment- Dr. Montessori emphasised that one of the key roles of an adult was to give the child a “prepared environment”. In the first year, this environment includes an area for rest (floor bed), area for change (change mat with supplies), area for feeding (comfortable chair) and an area for movement (horizontal mirror and a shelf with developmentally appropriate material).

“The most important way to achieve a better use of brain is to give it information of better quality and quantity in the first years of life. It is especially in this period that the brain shows a great capacity for developing very specialised functional circuits.”- Understanding the Human Being.

Today, neuroscience confirms that an important factor in stimulating the nervous system to develop and help human beings to progress and evolve is the kind of environment offered to them.

3. Responsive care and communication- Dr. Montessori famously said…

“Of all things love is the most potent.”

Research in neuroscience has proven that a child’s relationship with the adults in their life is the most important influence on their brain development. With responsive care, the brain’s systems learn to work well and keep the person healthy and socially engaged. What is learned in the early life will be applied ever after to relationships.

“Human relationships are NO 1 ingredient of child’s future success”- Theodre Roosevelt.

Talking to your baby not only helps in brain development through language information it has received but also helps in building neural networks as baby starts to make sense of the world around her. A child also absorbs the “emotional environment” of the home, so positive attitudes and emotions of the family members are crucial.

4. Observing and Responding to the child– Dr. Montessori emphasised that when a young child is observed and then responded to at the earliest, it helps them build trust in the world that their cries are heard. This also shapes their perception of the world, whether they will view the world in positive light and become optimistic or not.

Today, neuroscience agrees with this and further states that ‘when young babies cry they are not having tantrums or being emperors. They have needs and communicate them the only way that they can.’

5.  Play/ work time- Dr. Montessori stated “Play is a child’s work” and the Montessori Method is based on this. Today, neuroscience emphasis on the same. While baby plays, the sensory information she receives establishes important neural connections. These experiences provide a critical foundation for future development. 

Neuroscience agrees with Dr. Montessori that babies are ready to play from birth and it is their method of learning self-control, social skills and building intelligence.

6. Providing opportunities for development- Montessori emphasized on the importance of ‘freedom of movement’ for a child’s growth, which meant maximum awake time on tummy/ floor and no use of containers (walkers, swings, bouncers etc). 

Neuroscience confirms the above and today more and more pediatricians all over the world recommend using minimum contraptions and giving babies freedom to move, which is essential for their growth.

7. Outdoor time– Dr. Montessori emphasized on the importance of nature for a child’s development and said…

“The best way of invigorating a child is to immerse him in nature.”

There is so much research in neuroscience that shows the connection between physical exercise/ movement and mental acuity. The brain loves exercise and research has shown it increases brains executive function anywhere from 50%-100%. Once a baby is comfortable with bright day light, letting her spend some time regularly outdoors is great for her sensory development and for gaining an understanding of the world. As it is rightly said, trees make the best mobiles.

8. Face to face conversations rather than screen time– Dr. Montessori said that children in the first plane of development (birth to 6 years) are sensorial learners. They need to touch, feel, taste, smell, move and experience the real world. And no screen can provide this information in a natural or full-sensory way.

“There are many who hold as I do, that the most important period of life is not the age of University studies, but the first one, the period from birth to the age of six. For that is the time when man’s intelligence itself, his greatest implement, is being formed….The child has an intelligence of this unconscious type, and that is what brings about his marvellous progress. It begins with a knowledge of his surroundings.” – Maria Montessori

CDs and TV programs promoted as “educational” and aiding development have now taken away those phrases because they don’t. Neuroscience says that screen with animated characters teaching them colours and numbers is a means of passive absorption and can never replace a face to face real life interaction for learning and brain development. Although screen time is a very sensitive topic and for many families it can’t be eliminated altogether. Preferably no screen time or very minimum supervised time is recommended specially in the first 3 years.

9.  Follow the child– Dr. Montessori always emphasized on “following the child”. She said every child has their own innate nature and it is part of education to recognize and utilize these predispositions, because education can aid and direct nature but can never transform it.

Every child has their own innate timetable and latest research in neuroscience shows that comparison or pressure could actually be a roadblock to their natural brain development. Observing, following and supporting a child through their personal and unique needs is optimum for their development.

10. Hold them- Dr. Montessori time and again recognised a baby’s need to be physically close to their whanau and stated…

“One observes, too, that the little one, going about with his mother, never cries unless he is ill or hurt in some way. Sometimes he may fall asleep, but he does not cry.”

Today, neuroscience reiterates that babies are meant to be held. There has been a lot of recent research which show that daily separation/ isolation for extended period causes enough stress in babies to induce epigenetic effects that heighten stress reactivity, causes deficits ion memory function in adulthood, causes underdeveloped serotonin receptors, endogenous opioids and oxytocin (happiness hormones) and influences the presence of various hormones and neuropeptides right when systems are being established.

Montessori philosophy is based on the child reaching their highest human potential. We have one hundred billion cerebral cells and we use only 2-4% of them. And a better educational environment, from the very beginning, is the only way to realise this potential. Neuroscience has established that the experiences that a child has in their environment determines the connections that are made in their brain. The richer the experiences and the more she experiences the more the connections are made. Within our brain, we have synapses which connect neurons together and allow signals to travel. In the first 2-3 years of life there are an immense number of these connections being made, a process known as synaptogenesis, which aids the child to adapt to their time and place. In conclusion, it is safe to say that much before neuroscience proved the above, Dr. Montessori made the above known through her extensive work and scientific observation with children.

Here is a brief timeline of brain development from conception:          

Pregnancy- during this crucial period 20,000 brain cells are being added every minute.

First 3 years- A staggering seven hundred new neural connections (synapses) are formed in the brain every single second, equating to over one thousand trillion synapses by a child’s third birthday

Filed Under: Prepared Environment, Montessori at 8 months, Reflections Tagged With: montessori baby, brain development

The Tirade’s of Motherhood- A Vulnerable Reflection

August 11, 2019 by jayabalar 4 Comments

If you follow me on Instagram, you would know a lot about what Anika and I get up to. It all looks amazing and inspirational (that’s what the messages say!) blah blah. You know, I like to view life through my rose colored glasses… But last week, has been HARD! It started with my husband getting the flu and then me and then Anika fell sick (fever!) for the first time ever. Paranoid first time mum with an unhappy first-time sick child, I rushed her to the doctors and it was just viral that she got from us. She got better in a day but has been up from midnight to 4 am on Friday night and then every hour last night still recovering from her cold…

My husband has a big move happening at his work since last few weeks and has been working long hours, 7 days a week. Fortunately our family lives close by and my mum-in-law has been great help. I am insanely grateful for my daughter and love her to bits but motherhood comes with its own set of challenges. Sleep deprivation has got me really vulnerable today, so I thought I must open up about my low’s of being a mum and the 3 things I have struggled with the most in last 6 months…

  • SLEEP DEPRIVATION- I wont ‘sleep train’ my daughter but I will never judge a parent who has done it. Lack of sleep is really hard. I can count the number of nights, I have gotten more than 2 hours sleep at a stretch in the last 6 months. My friends say the sleep cycle gets longer at 9 months, fingers crossed.
  • BODY IMAGE- I am also a yoga teacher and have practiced Ashtanga Vinyasa yoga/meditation since 2013 till the day Anika was born for 10 hours a week (no matter what). So, I have been pretty fit! I gained (crazy) 20 kgs in my pregnancy and I have lost over half of it BUT I have not practiced yoga much in last 6 months (to be very honest) and I feel pretty shitty about that bulging tummy and so much more to loose. Sometimes, I feel like ‘GUILT’ feels synonymous to being a mum. Guilty if you give yourself time (cause selfish?) and guilty if you don’t (cause then you are probably not the best version of yourself?). Well, I am going to consciously make some more ME time in next 6 months (esp since Anika sleeps on bed more + is happy to play with others too) without feeling guilty about it.
  • THE TITLE OF “WORK AT HOME/ STAY AT HOME MUM”- I have worked since I was 18 years till I was 8 months pregnant. I have always been “independent”. I have paid off my university fees and traveled the world on my own. We are incredibly lucky that I can choose to stay at home with Anika for the next few years and I plan to home school her till she turns 3 years old. But every now and then, I do get rubbed off by the ‘society’ on how “lucky” I am to stay at home with her…To make it clear the role of a ‘full-time mum” (equals 3 full time jobs) is surely harder than any job I have ever done.

Last six months have been the best six months of my life but also the hardest. As I celebrate the triumphs of motherhood each day, I thought I must share my tirade’s too cause life exist in a sort of balance and I must accept both sides of it to stay grounded and real.

Filed Under: Reflections Tagged With: reflections

What respecting a baby means to us- Our do’s and dont’s

June 2, 2019 by jayabalar 2 Comments

In today’s time, we have some really incredible children (rather humanitarian) advocates whose work is well known and their voices have reached millions of families around the world. Some of my favorites are Dr. Montessori, Janet Lansbury, Magda Gerber, Dr. Shefali Tsabary, Alfie Kohn….

Past 3 months, has been an incredible journey for us as a family. Hubby and I agree and have observed below:

  • How sensitive babies really are!
  • How they can gauge if we truly see them as worthy individuals or not.
  • How they can pick up the energy levels of people, what they say etc even if they dont understand our words.
  • How much more settled, content and engaged they are when respected vs when not.

But well ‘respecting a baby’ can be quite a hazy thing. In the format of do’s and don’t’s, here is what respect means to us regarding our daughter…..

DO’s:

  • We inform our daughter what is going to happen next on a continuous basis, e.g.: now I am going to pick you up…
  • We give her space. Which means if she is concentrating or is engaged in her environment or her toys, we do not interrupt.
  • We observe her to understand through her body language, nuances, expressions and cooes.
  • We model grace and courtesy. Babies are sponges, who absorb every little thing they see.
  • We talk to her and everyone else in soft kind voices.
  • We listen to her and let her know she matters.
  • We give her routines with slight changes every now and then, so she knows what to expect, trust this new world and feels safe.
  • We talk to her directly and not as a third person.
  • We acknowledge her feelings. So instead of saying, “its ok”, we say ‘I hear you are upset, lets…..’
  • We follow her lead and leave our prerogatives behind as much as we can.
  • We do say sorry, please and thank you to her.

DON’T’S:

  • We do not put her in any unnatural physical position. That means, we don’t sit her/ walk her if she cant do this independently.
  • We do not fling her in the air or shake her.
  • We do not tickle her, babies can’t tell you to stop if they dont like it. Plus their nervous system is not strong enough for all the stimulation!
  • We do not put her upside down, same reason as above.
  • We do not pick her up from behind. We come in front and let her know what is going to happen first.
  • We do not scream, bully or belittle anyone, just because we are in the ‘power’ to do so. We make a conscious effort to not just treat humans with respect and kindness but also our family dog and other animals.
  • We do not slap, flick or spank, even as a joke! These days so much is done in the name of love!
  • We do not undermine natural processes. Ex- stinky poo! Cause if not for that she would be constipated!
  • We do not use terms like “good girl.” Good for who? Good is comparative. Good means my child must live their life to make you happy? If she does not please you, then bad girl? We instead use terms like- I love you, brave, wise, funny, kind…..
    “When people see things as beautiful, ugliness is created. When people see things as good, evil is created.”- Lao Tzu

In saying above, we always try our best, make several mistakes and learn each time. But we choose to view her as a respected small individual rather than a helpless one. As a teacher, I have observed the below with children:

  1. Only a child that has been respected, can truly respect another being.
  2. Children are a reflection of what we see them as.
  3. Children are also a reflection of who we are. So we as parents constantly work at being our most authentic, loving and kind self.

“Many awful things have been done in the name of love, but nothing awful can be done in the name of respect.”- Magda Gerber.

These are our beliefs and what we have known and learned. We don’t judge other parents (cause everyone has their own way) and we expect to not be judged either. Does this resonate with anyone?

Filed Under: Reflections Tagged With: montessori baby, reflection

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